The Astros continued with their road miseries last night, losing in Miami to the Florida Marlins by a score of 5-1. Through eight innings, the Astros’ bats had been silent, once again, getting only two hits off of Florida’s pitching, but they went on an offensive stampede and finished the game with five hits.
I jokingly wrote last week that if the Astros were to miss the playoffs they were going to put all of the blame on Hurricane Ike. But that appears to be exactly what they were doing. Now I know the Astros are playing under crappy conditions. I know they had to fly out of Houston Sunday morning and play in Milwaukee on Sunday night. I know they spent the weekend evacuating family and trying to clean up mess.
I know all of that. And I understand their anger – I’ve been a vagabond myself this week. And as of today, I’m living in my office 24/7 until either my power comes back or my bosses get tired of footing the large electric bill. But they’ve got to come to grips with the facts. This isn’t the fault of Bud Selig.
This is the fault of Drayton McLane. Drayton didn’t want to lose the dollars from the Cubs series, so he endangered anybody. And now he’s passing the buck and people are falling for his lies.
Sure, the Astros recognizing the truth isn’t going to help them out. But until they get their minds straight, they’re not going to play decent baseball. And they’re down to 12 games now. Time is almost out. And continuing to play lackluster baseball is not going to improve things.
They’ve got two more games in Miami against the Marlins, then they take on the Pirates for three games in Pittsburgh before returning to Houston next week.
MISCELLANEOUS ASTROS NOTES:
One of those people falling for Drayton McLane’s bull is State Senator John Whitmire.
“It is outrageous what Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig did to the Houston Astros players, their families, and the Houston community of Astros’ supporters,” Whitmire told the Chron. “First, it is unconscionable to have the Houston Astros play in Milwaukee on Sunday night when the players and team staff should be in Houston with their families or in other locations where their families have evacuated.
“To require players like Lance Berkman to drive at 4:00 a.m. (Sunday) from San Marcos back to Houston to catch an (10) a.m. flight to Milwaukee is outrageous. Major League Baseball endangered the lives of the team and their families. Some things are more important than baseball and money.”
Now, I addressed this issue yesterday, but I suppose I’m going to have to keep addressing until morons like Whitmire understand. MLB and Bud Selig DID NOT do this to the Houston Astros, their families, or their supporters. Drayton McLane DID THIS!
First, should I remind Whitmire that McLane had no problem with forcing the Cubs, their staff, and the umpires, to fly into Houston in front of an oncoming hurricane? And McLain had no problem with these people sitting in a hotel riding out said hurricane with the hope of playing a game on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. But I guess that, to Whitmire, their lives don’t matter.
And I guess I need to point out to Whitmire that McLane could have easily flown the entire Astros organization and organization families to safety, so that everybody was together while Ike was ravaging Houston. But McLane chose not to do this. It was McLane who fought the Cubs and MLB. It was McLane who insisted that the games could be played in Houston. It was McLane who sought to endanger everyone’s lives. McLane could have flown everyone to safety on Thursday night.
He chose not to do so. He chose to force everybody to sit through a hurricane so that he wouldn’t have to refund the ticket money. So maybe Whitmire should be talking to his buddy Drayton about those matters that are more important than money.
I understand that Whitmire’s a baseball fan and that he’s close to McLane, but shouldn’t logic be able to break through his politician’s skull at some point? This didn’t have to be. None of it had to be. Drayton McLane chose this course. And the Astros and the fans are suffering because of his choices.
I blame Bud Selig for lots of things, but this isn’t his fault. This is Drayton McLane’s fault. Even Richard Justice understands this. So why can’t people like John Whitmire and the ballplayers? By the way, Mr. Oswalt, I don’t remember you bitching last year when MLB did this to the Indians, or when MLB did it to the Marlins in 2004, so don’t bitch now.
And, frankly, I don’t know about you, but shouldn’t people like Whitmire have more important things to do at this moment than going off on Bud Selig? — John Royal
This article appears in Sep 11-17, 2008.
